Posts tagged “POV”

A friend once told me that if you find yourself writing in the voice of a person who is the opposite sex you are, then you are secretly that gender. I don’t know about that, but it certainly has gotten me thinking about writing from the POV of the opposite sex.

For some reason, I have never had much difficulty writing from the POV of a woman. I look back over the years, and I would say about a quarter of my POVs have been women. I don’t know why I have been able to make this transition so easily. I wonder if I should be concerned about my masculinity.

Maybe it’s because of my upbringing. I am the only boy between two sisters. I also had a mother who doted on me. I notice that I am typically more comfortable speaking with women than I am with men. I may just be more comfortable being in the skin of a woman. . . Did I just say that?

Whatever the reason, it helps me with my writing. I’m currently writing about my story’s love interest, Rose. So far, she has been the most intriguing character in the novel. I was curious as to how my writer friends out there handle writing from the POV of the opposite sex. Do you struggle with it? Is it easy? What tips do you have that helps when you write from these POVs? Do you take Melvin Udall’s advice from As Good As it Gets?

WIP Update—No Lie. This month has been the worst. Sickness. Work. More sickness. Kids on vacation. More work. Someone please just take this month and throw it in the trash can. Fortunately, I’m starting to get back in the groove of things. I’m currently reading a book about antebellum women in Charleston and have started a dialogue with a Civil War re-enactor to give me some insights into Civil War era women. Pretty fun stuff actually.